Most who have followed the sport for a number of years in the region know that there have been some pretty good girls fast pitch softball coaches in the 2nd Region. Some of those are names are legendary across the state for what they did with their programs.
As of the beginning of 2020, there were 45 coaches in Kentucky fast pitch softball history that had won at least 150 games. Six of those 45 spent time coaching some of the best programs in the 2nd Region.
With his final season in 2019, Christian County’s Johnny Blane joined the club. During his six year tenure with Christian County, Blane’s record was 167-64-2, placing him #42 on the state’s all-time wins list.
Coming in at #32 on the wins list is Caldwell County coaching legend Al Giordano. Coach G spent 10 years as the Lady Tigers head coach. His record during that decade was 227-81. His 1998 team reached the championship game of the state tournament before falling to Owensboro Catholic.
At #23 on the list is Christian County’s Jim Perrin. Perrin coached the Lady Colonels when the state made the transition from slow pitch to fast pitch. He won a state title in 1996, and was runner-up in 1999. His career fast pitch coaching record is 288-93.
Coming in at #19 on the list is the man who followed Perrin at Christian County. Shane Weaver took over the Christian County Lady Colonels for the 2004 season. Weaver spent three seasons with the Lady Colonel program before leaving for North Laurel, and then spending time at Lexington Lafayette. Weaver’s career record for 10 years is 298-104-1.
Climbing up to #7 on the list, you find the coach that followed Weaver at Christian County, Tony Burkeen. Burkeen took over the Christian County job for the 2007 season. He had just won the 1st Region title with Reidland in 2006. His two years were pretty good at Christian County as well, as his teams won both the 2007 and 2008 region championships. For his career, Burkeen was 451-127.
The highest coach on the list to spend time in the 2nd Region was Jesse Huff. Huff spent a total of 19 years coaching at South Hopkins and Hopkins Central. Huff’s 2004 Lady Storm team finished in 3rd place at the state tournament, being eliminated by Owensboro Catholic. Huff’s career record stands at 459-210-4. That places him 6th on the all-time wins list.
The #1 spot on the list falls to coach, who while he did not coach in the 2nd Region, was well known to coaches, players, and fans alike. George Randolph spent 22 years as the head coach for the Lady Aces at Owensboro Catholic. His career record is 678-220-12.
Had the 2020 season been played, Randolph’s spot at the top of the list could have been in jeopardy. Penny Reece, who has spent time at Greenwood and Meade County, is just 25 wins behind Randolph. Meade County won 27 games in 2019 and would have had a chance to move Reece into the top spot in 2020.
